Golden Treasures

This post was originally going to be entitled "The Birthday Suit" but I thought about how many times I would celebrate my birthday and the corresponding times I would use that title — then I deleted it. I thought of using the word "treasure" for two different reasons: 1.) I consider my time here on earth very precious and the years that have gone by are considered treasures. 2.) 50% of this outfit is thrifted. People often refer to thrift store finds as treasures because you have to hunt for them.

After that little tale, you can easily figure out that this is what I wore on my birthday last last last last Monday. (That's a lot of lasts!) Most of which were spent pulling out clothes and getting stuck with our pug in the house so, I guess you could say it was pretty uneventful. Although I did attempt to cook my first pack of noodles (a.k.a. pancit canton). My mom would probably think that it wasn't a good idea for me to open the stove while I was alone since I could've easily burned down the house and our adjacent neighbors but what's done is done. I'm happy to say I was able to feed myself and keep the house intact at the same time.

Don't assume that I'm the kind of person who grabs life by the horns based on my first reason for putting the word "treasure" in my title. Or that I'm a person that never gets sad about how life has treated me because I do get sad sometimes. But I'm not about to get all mopey on you. Instead, I'm going to share a couple of tips for being happy which I think is the best way to treasure life.
1. Don't overthink things.
There's a reason why people say ignorance is bliss. When we overthink something, chances are we wreck our original idea or we stress yourself - or worse, both. The best solution for this is for us to do our best in everything we do and believe in our work. I'm not saying you shouldn't work on improving things. When people give you constructive criticism, take it and work on it. It's simply a matter of not stressing out over little things or sometimes, nothing at all.

2. Don't compare yourself to others.

Jealousy rears its ugly head whenever we see or hear bout someone having something we want or being someone we wish we were. Instead of getting bitter and hating on that person, why don't you just take them as an inspiration? Someone you aspire to be or something you aspire to earn. My boyfriend once told me that we all have different paths in life. We might never get all the lavish and expensive things other people have or be a big-shot business tycoon in the future but who's to say that you aren't as awesome as those people right now? 

3. Don't expect a lot.

If expecting a lot out of people was a crime, I'd be sentenced to prison on a lot of counts right now. But I learned that not expecting a lot can give you a lot of surprises and a lot to be thankful for. For example, I expect to spend some time with Joren this coming Valentine's Day instead of expecting a humongous display of his love and affection for me. In the event of this foolish expectation not happening, I will still be happy that at least I got to spent time with him because that's what really counts. Meanwhile, if I expected all that hullabaloo and didn't get it - I would be devastated. In the event that he does do something on Valentine's like, give me a bouquet of flowers I would be surprised and just be grateful.

On that note, I think being grateful is one of the key elements of happiness. Being able to recognize all that life has to offer (including the trials and the challenges) as blessings, gives us a lot to be thankful and happy about. I know it's not as easy as it sounds but it wouldn't kill us to exercise these principles right?

What I'm Wearing
beaded fuzzy cardigan - thrift shop
black bustier top - Shop Till You Drop 
textured full skirt - thrift shop
gold metal belt - Melai's
suede heelless shoes with gold details - Gold Dot  

Photos by Joren Villano